Stimulating growth in the food market is difficult for retailers and brand owners alike, but anecdotally it’s more difficult for the latter. Recent research shows it is only going to get harder.

Food expenditure per capita Down Under is among the highest in the world – with Australia and New Zealand taking the third and fourth spots respectively behind Switzerland and Norway – leaving little room for expansion.

So while growth is always a business goal, there are a number of challenges to companies obtaining a bigger slice of the pie. These include the absence of traditional retail cycles since 2008, the increasing competition for consumers’ minds and wallets due to the rise of internet-connected devices, and a growing preference for eating out.

If shifts in consumption patterns aren’t enough to compromise in-home food growth, traditional retail cycles have been slow to re-emerge following the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). As disposable income growth rates declined, so did retail trade evolution – which had a much bigger impact than the prices of individual items being driven down. 

While the period from 2002-2008 was a super-cycle of consumption, with retail growth rates doubling that of population and household growth rates in most segments, since 2008 this trend has reversed. Comparing volumes in the food sector, annual per capital increases hit 2.2% per annum compound from 2002-2008 but dropped to just 0.2% across 2008-2014. Similar growth declines were seen in all retail sectors – except 'eating out' food businesses where volume growth has accelerated.

THE WAY CONSUMERS SHOP HAS CHANGED 

Adding to the food sector’s challenges, is a major shift in the way consumers shop. Australian consumers have become elusive and concerned about the economy, jobs, personal finances and health. They have started shopping less, with trips to grocery stores down 5% on the 2010 peak and now level with 2008. 

At the same time, engagement with technology devices has rapidly increased. Time and money spent on smartphones and tablets has spiked and Australians now spend more than 24 hours per week connected to the internet – an increase of more than 70% since 2008. 

Correspondingly, as consumers spend more time looking at screens, online shopping has risen dramatically. But while some of this time is spent on online grocery shopping, Nielsen’s Australian Connected Consumers Report shows 24% of those who shop online also buy food/groceries; this isn’t eliminating the impact of reduced shopping trips.  

Over the past six years we’ve seen dramatic changes in the way Australians live and work – from economic to technological factors – impacting how we consume food. With at-home food expenditure already at peak levels compared to similar markets, we can expect that food retailers and brands will find it difficult to stimulate growth. 

As expenditure builds in the 'eating out' food channels, some businesses will need to diversify. Companies who rely on at-home food purchases will need to optimise their efforts to attract customers and ensure their products get into trolleys, whether physically in-store or via virtual baskets online.

Middle East e-commerce leader ShopGo appoints Four Communications for profile-building campaign

ShopGo, the MENA region’s leading e-commerce solutions provider, has appointed Four Communications to develop its external communications strategy and handle its press office in the region.

ShopGo is an online one-stop-shop e-commerce host that brings together all the relevant players of the e-commerce sector  from technology, marketing, shipping couriers and payment options under one platform to make selling online a quick and easy process. Through its efficient and user-friendly platform, ShopGo enables beginners and experts alike to build, manage and monitor simple and interactive online stores.

Four Communications has been appointed to raise awareness of the company’s ambitious growth plans in the region.

“We live in a social and digital era and e-commerce is booming in the Middle East, with online sales currently growing faster than offline,” said Mohanad Ghashim, CEO at ShopGo. “We want to help people understand how having an online presence can extremely positively impact the results of their business and we are confident that Four Communications will help get our message across.”

Ray Eglington, Managing Director – International of Four Communications, adds: “ShopGo is a home-grown success story in the Middle East and we are looking forward to telling its story, as the company takes the next step in its growth trajectory.”

The ShopGo account will be run by Mustafa Al-Sheikhly, Ghali Houri and Mohaned Lafi.

Winner of ESOMAR Effectiveness Award 2014

haystack, a leading global market and consumer research company, is proud to announce the expansion of its operations and team in the Middle East and North Africa region. The expansion comes as a realization for the huge potential in the MENA region where the company has achieved over 500% growth rate over the past two years.

Drawing on more than 40 years of experience across Europe offering innovative, expert-driven and behavioral approaches, haystack is currently working to attract both local and international MENA-based clients seeking its state of the art research tools. The company’s offer is primarily based on behavioral measures for product development and shopper research as well as biometrics (neuroscience) for communication and media testing.

“We realize and see a lot of strong business potential in the market and consumer research industry in the region and we are confident that our unique services and experience will benefit both marketing professionals and consumers alike, commented Fatima El-Khatib, Regional Manager, Asia, Middle East & Africa, haystack.

“With reality-driven and science-based sensory & marketing research, haystack operates to reveal what consumers really want. The company turns insights into tangible recommendations to help clients create superior products and brands, and unique shopping experiences,” added El-Khatib.

haystack is also proud winner of the 2014 Research Effectiveness Award for Innovative Approach granted by ESOMAR, the essential organization for encouraging, advancing and elevating market research worldwide. haystack's submission Car Clinics 3.0 was rewarded by ESOMAR as the industry's best in demonstrating the tangible impact of market research.

The award for the research done in collaboration with Toyota aiming at innovating traditionally used research. Using this approach, Toyota will be able to profit from the suggested research design described in the research paper to avoid making “design mistakes” early in the process of car development at least five years before launching a car.

haystack offers it services to a diverse range of industries ranging from FMCG to Media and B2B such as insurance companies and banks. The company’s client base in the region includes some of the biggest local, regional and multinational brands including Kellogg’s, P&G, Unilever, Rani Refreshment, Lamb Weston, Ahram Beverages, MBC Group, Dubai Media Inc (DMI), Omnicom Media Group, Simon & Kutcher Consultancy, AXA, amongst others.

The Coca-Cola Company today announced that after more than seven years of distinguished leadership and service as the Company’s Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, Joe Tripodi will retire from the Company at the end of February 2015. 

Tripodi will be succeeded by Marcos De Quinto, a seasoned and respected Company veteran who is currently President of the Iberia Business Unit & Vice President, Europe Group.

“During his tenure, Joe has successfully led our Company’s worldwide marketing and commercial organization, and played a vital role in building and leveraging our marketing capabilities and talent around the globe,” said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company.  “I want to thank Joe for his leadership, dedication and many contributions to our business, and wish him and his family much happiness in his retirement.”

Under Tripodi’s leadership, The Coca-Cola Company launched one of its most successful global campaigns for brand Coca-Cola, Open Happiness.  The Company was named the Cannes Lions Creative Marketer of the Year in 2013, while Trademark Coca-Cola continued its multi-year run among the top of Interbrand’s Most Valuable Global Brand List.  In addition, The Coca-Cola Company’s marketing strategies and innovative consumer engagement work earned it a place among Fast Company magazine’s Top 15 Most Innovative Companies in the World in 2013.  The Company was also recognized as Advertising Age Marketer of the Year and Mobile Marketing Association Marketer of the Year.   Earlier this year, Tripodi was inducted into the American Marketing Association Hall of Fame.

Tripodi joined Coca-Cola in 2007 from Allstate Insurance Company, where he was Chief Marketing Officer.  He also served in Chief Marketing Officer roles for The Bank of New York, Seagram Spirits & Wine, and MasterCard International.

De Quinto will succeed Tripodi as Chief Marketing Officer, effective January 1, 2015. 

“Over his tenure with Coca-Cola, Marcos has been known for his ardent passion for our brands, our business and our system, as well as his strategic capabilities,” said Mr. Kent. “Although Marcos’ DNA is that of a marketer, he has held a number of leadership roles throughout his career and he will bring a global view with strong operational experience to this key role.  Through Marcos’ leadership, the Iberia Business Unit has become one of our best marketing centers of excellence worldwide. Our global marketing organization will benefit greatly from Marcos’ proven track record of success and his unique combination of world-class operational and marketing expertise.”

De Quinto has been in his current role since 2000.  Previously, De Quinto held various Division Marketing roles across Spain, Southeast & West Asia, Germany, as well as general management roles in Singapore & Malaysia.

De Quinto has a Bachelor of Economics from the Complutense University of Madrid and a Masters in Business Administration from the Instituto de Empresa.

Over the next several months, Tripodi and De Quinto will work in partnership to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.

Research and Markets  has announced the addition of the "Global Newspaper Publishing Market 2014-2018" report to their offering.

The Global Newspaper Publishing market to grow at a CAGR of 0.18 percent over the period 2013-2018.

The market is likely to grow rapidly on digital platforms during the forecast period of 2014-2018. To attract consumers, advertisers are coming up with innovative advertisement strategies. They are exploring new ways to advertise their products and brands.

According to the report, the global economy is one of the major factors influencing the growth of the Global Newspaper Publishing market. The stabilizing economy drives the growth of the newspaper industry. The high growth contribution from developing economies such as China and India, and the growing digital platform for news publishing are some other factors affecting the growth of the Global Newspaper Publishing market.

Further, the report states that with the emergence of the digital format, advertisers are splitting their advertising budgets. Moreover, the revenue generated from online advertising is less due to cheaper advertisement space.

Key Vendors

Fairfax Media

Gannett

News

Schibsted

The New York Times

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

List of Abbreviations

Scope of the Report

Market Research Methodology

Introduction

Market Landscape

Business Models

Global Economic Conditions

Market Segmentation by Revenue Type

Market Segmentation by Platform

Geographical Segmentation

Key Leading Countries

Buying Criteria

Market Growth Drivers

Drivers and their Impact

Market Challenges

Impact of Drivers and Challenges

Market Trends

Trends and their Impact

Vendor Landscape

Key Vendor Analysis

Adobe and Nielsen To Create Industry's First Comprehensive Measurement Platform for Digital Content

Census-Based Digital Content Ratings to Measure Audiences Accurately and Consistently Across Devices; ESPN, Sony Pictures, Turner Broadcasting, Univision, Viacom and Others Part of Initial Rollout

Adobe  and Nielsen announced a strategic alliance that is expected to deliver the industry’s first comprehensive, cross-platform system for measuring online TV, video and other digital content across the web and apps. The collaboration will integrate Nielsen’s digital audience measurement products, the most trusted ratings system in the industry, with Adobe Analytics and Adobe Primetime, the industry’s leading digital analytics and online TV delivery platforms. As a result, both companies will jointly market Nielsen's Digital Content Ratings, Powered by Adobe, which will deliver analytics and currency-grade content metrics that enable smarter buying and selling decisions. Customers will have comparable metrics to measure audiences accurately and consistently across every major IP device, including desktops, smartphones, tablets, game consoles and over-the-top boxes.

Nielsen’s new Digital Content Ratings will be supported by certified Adobe Analytics census data. The aggregated and anonymous data will measure content of all types, including online TV, videos, games, audio and text. The technology integration is expected to accelerate the adoption of a digital ratings currency, allowing advertisers to better allocate marketing dollars across platforms, and enabling media companies to benefit from insights into the performance of TV and other digital content across screens.

Nielsen’s Digital Content Ratings data will be available in the Adobe Marketing Cloud, allowing media companies to better monetize their inventory and brands to better optimize their marketing campaigns. Adobe Analytics customers will be able to quickly activate Nielsen’s insights and link their own analytics data to widely accepted currency-quality metrics to better reach specific audiences. In addition, Nielsen’s measurement data will be embedded in Adobe Primetime to give broadcasters and pay-TV service providers the ability to quickly measure audiences and viewing behaviors across a broad set of devices. The integration also seeks to drive deeper engagement through the delivery of personalized content and ads.

“Online TV consumption is at an all time high and Adobe and Nielsen are two leaders coming together to standardize audience measurement for digital content,” said Brad Rencher, senior vice president and general manager, digital marketing at Adobe. “Major media companies and broadcasters already depend on Adobe to bring TV across screens and better understand digital viewer engagement. Once complete, our partnership with Nielsen will provide analytics tied with ratings—benefitting advertisers, media companies and consumers alike.”

“This alliance is expected to accelerate the adoption of consistent and comprehensive measurement in digital,” said Megan Clarken, executive vice president, global product leadership, at Nielsen. “By integrating our technologies, together we’ll be able to offer our customers a more seamless and efficient way to plan and deliver against their audiences.”

Early Industry Support

Media companies and advertisers will be able to use the new Nielsen Digital Content Ratings, Powered by Adobe, starting in 2015. ESPN, IPG Mediabrands, Sony Pictures Television, Starcom MediaVest Group, Turner Broadcasting, Univision Communications Inc., Viacom and others will be part of the rollout of the new ratings:

"ESPN is excited to be working with Nielsen and Adobe as an early advisor for this initiative,” said Artie Bulgrin, Senior Vice President Global Research and Analytics ESPN. “We have a close working relationship with both companies as we are deeply invested in cross-platform measurement. One of the challenges in digital measurement has been the lack of alignment between site analytics and syndicated measurement data, and we will be working with Nielsen and Adobe to help resolve this.”

"This partnership between Adobe and Nielsen signals yet another important milestone in automating the media industry,” said Matt Seiler, global CEO at IPG Mediabrands. “The ability to provide metrics to measure audiences accurately, allowing IPG Mediabrands to better allocate marketing dollars, across every major IP device is an important step in our quest to automate 50% of our media buys by 2016.”

“Crackle is the only premium ad-supported network that lives purely on over-the-top devices and there is tremendous value in understanding how people are consuming content," said Eric Berger, Executive Vice President, Digital Networks at Sony Pictures Television and GM, Crackle. “Being a part of the initial rollout will enable us to present real-time engagement metrics, allowing for advertisers to understand the true return on their investment and match our growing audience on Connected TV with blue chip brands at scale.”

“SMG is also working with Adobe to help clients manage their digital marketing campaigns using its ‘always on’ platform. As cross-screen viewing permeates all marketing, measurement needs to encompass television, desktop personal computers and mobile platforms, and this new relationship between Nielsen and Adobe will hopefully drive that,” said Kate Sirkin, EVP and global research director of Starcom MediaVest Group. "The partnership looks particularly interesting as a way to help measure the total viewing of a television show across digital platforms.”

“As consumers expand their video consumption across screens, the media industry needs stronger digital and cross-platform measurement to accurately track consumers and better monetize cross-screen audiences." said Howard Shimmel, Chief Research Officer, Turner Broadcasting. “Adobe's strength in analytics and history in bringing together video and complementary content across platforms, combined with Nielsen’s strong audience measurement capabilities, will accelerate development and adoption of a single digital currency, which is what the industry needs. We look forward to collaborating with both companies to encourage roll out of this new rating system in 2015."

“We are pleased to participate in this beta in an effort to help develop accurate census based measurement of digital content. Our participation in this beta is further evidence of Univision’s commitment to ensure that our efforts to deliver content across platforms to our tech savvy Hispanic audience are properly and accurately measured," said Marshall Cohen, Executive Vice President, Corporate Research, Univision Communications Inc. “We look forward to working with Nielsen and Adobe on this solution to ensure that all audiences and demographics are effectively measured."

The Global Awards® competition has announced the 2014 Shortlist. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Global Awards dedication to recognizing the World’s Best Healthcare & Wellness Advertising™.

To celebrate this milestone, the competition launched the Young Globals student competition & internship program. Young Globals offers students the opportunity to earn a prestigious Global Award, and the chance to test drive their career in healthcare advertising. This hallmark anniversary reinforces the Global Award’s mission of Creative Globalization … honoring creative ideas in the field of healthcare & wellness advertising from all global regions without boundaries or restrictions. A graphic mural representing “Creative Globalization” will be unveiled at the 2014 Global Awards celebration in New York City. 

“The Globals have committed to commending worldwide creative excellence with unflagging integrity,” said Chet Moss, EVP, Chief Creative Officer, ICC Lowe, USA. “If there’s deserving work, it wins. If there isn’t, it doesn’t. It’s a show that’s receptive to new ideas and new processes while encouraging robust debate and dissent.”

The Global Awards Executive Jury and Grand Jury, comprised of international industry experts, represents the top creative minds in the field of healthcare & wellness advertising. The Executive and Grand Juries are headed by Global Awards Executive Committee Chairperson Robin Shapiro, President and Chief Creative Officer for CAHG.

Jury members represent agencies from more than 20 countries on six continents and participate in online judging and live judging session format to evaluate works with rigor and regard. This year’s Grand Jury live judging sessions were hosted by the following agencies & organizations: CAHG Chicago, USA; Healthy Thinking Group Sydney, Australia; Loooped London, England, and CDM Paris in cooperation with AACC (Association des Agences-Conseils en Communication) Paris, France. All Shortlisted entries will be judged by the Executive Jury in a live session in New York to determine this year’s trophy winners.

The 2014 Shortlist, selected by the Grand Jury, represents entries submitted from 26 countries and 5 continents. The competition expanded its global footprint with entries from Puerto Rico, Ireland, Turkey and such far-reaching countries as Mozambique moving on to the next judging round.

The USA led this year with 58 entries achieving Shortlist status, up 21% from last year. Australian agencies saw 37 entries Shortlisted and the UK followed with a total of 23. Countries showing a robust number of entries include Singapore with 13 entries, Germany with 8, and Japan with 5 Shortlisted entries.

This year’s Shortlist exhibited a variety of categories with multiple entries moving forward including Educational Awareness with 33 entries, Health Institutions & Services with 11, and both Promotional Marketing & Training and Internal Medicines each with 6 entries Shortlisted. 

Inspired by healthcare and wellness industry trends, the Global Awards launched several wellness categories this year. The newly unveiled Nutritional Management (OTC) category saw several entries achieve Shortlist status: Publicis Mojo Brisbane, Australia for their entry “Toilet Paper Advertising” for client Sanofi; and Energy BBDO Chicago, USA entry “Beauty is Bone Deep” for client Citracal.

Mobile and tablet campaigns continue to increase brand awareness, the following third-screen entries were Shortlisted: HCB Health USA, “PoopMD Mobile App” for client Pediatric Gastro Web Application; McCann Echo Torre Lazur USA, “Rebif Nurse Dashboard App” for client Rebif; TBWA Paling Walters United Kingdom, “Azzalure congress digital experience” for Azzalure; and McCann Health Japan, “The Vein Guy” for client Crestor.

Integrated Campaigns were in the spotlight, creatively engaging audiences for the benefit of brands and causes. Agencies achieving Shortlist status include: Saatchi & Saatchi Health Sydney, Australia; PharMa International Inc. Japan; Ogilvy Healthworld Brazil; Area 23 USA: Targis KK Japan; GOLO - Advertising Agency Mozambique; Buena Vibra Group / DDB Latina Puerto Rico; and Grey Group Singapore.

E-commerce makes it simple for consumers to browse and buy with just a click. If digital retailers and marketers are worried that online shoppers are clicking off before checking out, new research from Nielsen may help to alleviate that concern.

When it comes to shopping for clothes, event tickets, books and toys, or making reservations for tours and hotels, there is mostly a one-to-one correlation between online searching and shopping. That means those who browse on the Web also complete the purchase and buy online. These closely linked browsing/buying items are also among those with the highest purchase intention rates, which range between 35 percent and 46 percent of respondents surveyed.    

Consumable products, on the other hand, have lower online browse/buy intention rates than non-consumable products, but surprisingly, they boast just as strong browse-to-buy correlations. For example, for cosmetics, 33 percent of global respondents say they browse and 31 percent say they buy: nearly a one-to-one correlation. Similarly, about one-third of global respondents say they browse and buy personal care products (31%/29%) and groceries (30%/27%). About one-fourth browse and buy pet products (24%/21%) and baby supplies (23%/20%), and roughly one-fifth browse/buy flowers (20%/18%) and alcoholic drinks (20%/17%).

“Strong online browse-to-buy correlation rates for fast-moving consumer goods translate to loyal repeat customers for these categories,” said John Burbank, president of Strategic Initiatives, Nielsen. “While these categories are still in the early stages of online adoption, these correlations signal great news for retailers. Now is the time to create omni-channel experiences for consumers who are actively using both digital and physical platforms to research and purchase, as increasingly, they don’t make a distinction between the two.”  

As noted, people are more likely to buy non-consumables online. But some have lower browse/buy ratios. Among the products more conducive to online browsing than buying are: electronic equipment, mobile phones, computer hardware/software, sporting goods and cars/motorcycles. These products can carry high price tags and often require physical try-before-you-buy test runs. The browse-to-buy difference for these products tends to be skewed toward browsing by about 7 percentage points.

Of 22 categories in the study, the only category with a higher global online buy-to-browse ratio is airline tickets (48% buy/40% browse). Securing air travel plans online has proven to be a reliable and effective method for many. 

Google leads $500m investment in mystery start-up Magic Leap

Magic Leap, a little-known start-up focused around augmented reality technology, has raised over $500m in a funding round, with Google leading the rush to invest.

The mysterious business, founded by Florida-based entrepreneur Rony Abovitz, has previously stated it is attempting to develop the “most natural and human-friendly wearable computing interface in the world”.

In a recent blog post, Abovitz wrote that, “computing should match human experience, it should respect human physiology.”

Magic Leap has now raised $542m from investors including Google, mobile phone chip-maker Qualcomm and tech investment firm KKR, while Google’s senior vice president of Android, Chrome and Apps Sundar Pichai will join the start-up’s board.

"We are excited and honoured to have such an extraordinary group of investors to help us bring our vision and products to the world," said Abovitz.

"Magic Leap is going beyond the current perception of mobile computing, augmented reality, and virtual reality. We are transcending all three, and will revolutionize the way people communicate, purchase, learn, share and play."

From Facebook to Apple, big technology companies are exploring new wearable and virtual-reality technologies. Earlier this year, Facebook spend $2bn on 3D headset technology maker Oculus Rift.

Source:mandmglobal

Age of Indentity

"Branding " began as a mark of ownership, trust, and quality, and evolved into a more sophisticated symbol of differentiation and identification in the post–World War II era. As commerce became global and markets became saturated with products and services, the need to differentiate increased, as did the need to help customers identify and choose. Companies adopted slogans and mascots, built a presence on radio and television, and, by the 1970s and '80s, manufacturers fully recognized the way in which consumers developed relationships with their brands-and how they could infuse them with a clear proposition, values, and special qualities to broaden their appeal. In the Age of Identity, the purpose of a brand was to serve as a market positioning identifier, setting businesses and individual products apart from the crowd, both visually and verbally. These foundational characteristics of a great brand are still valid today, but the world became more demanding. 

Age of Value

In 1988, Interbrand undertook the first Brand Valuation, and the Age of Value was born. Companies began to view brands as valuable business assets that contribute significantly to financial performance-driving choice, securing loyalty, and affording the owner a premium. Slowly, the language of "cost" relating to marketing expenditure became the language of "investment." Alongside this, came an increasing recognition that brands were not built simply through communications, but through a combination of business activities covering products and services, environments, culture, and communication-all of which created the total brand perception held by customers and employees alike. The growing wealth of data led to a more sophisticated approach to brand management, tied to economic value, and ultimately the creation of a growth agenda based upon a robust and strategic methodology. No longer an afterthought or a responsibility relegated to the marketing department, brand strategy became not only intertwined with business strategy-it became business strategy brought to life.

Age of Experience

With the recognition of brands as valuable, strategic assets, came a deeper appreciation of the role brands play in delivering satisfying and differentiated experiences to consumers. Benefitting immensely from the rise of digital and mobile technology, category-killing brands like Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple have reset customer expectations and significantly raised the bar for brand experiences. Interactions are seamless, contextually relevant, and increasingly based around creating an ecosystem of integrated products, services, information, and entertainment: both physical and digital. In this information-saturated age, it's no longer enough to have big data. These vast data sets must be mined for big insight, big empathy, big intuition, and big dialogue. The frequency of and immense opportunities for communication require higher degrees of internal clarity and commitment to the brand to ensure consistency across organizations and enable speed to market. Further, the customer-empowered by social media in the Age of Experience-now has more control than ever. In this world of two-way conversations, advocacy, influence, and engagement are the new rules for brand building.

Age of You

As digital technology continues to weave its way into every aspect of our lives, and more of who we are is captured on servers and hard drives, the Age of Experience is giving way to a new era-one of ubiquitous computing. When ecosystems are fully integrated and sensors (on our bodies, in our homes, and in our devices) can talk to each other in new ways, supply chains will reorganize around individuals and ecosystems will become Mecosystems. Connecting businesses to people-and people to each other-brands will then serve as enablers of both business and personal value creation.  

From the way we manage our personal brands and share pieces of ourselves through various social media platforms to the increasingly personalized world of commerce-which uses purchase histories and location-based services to tailor products, events, services, and offers to whoever we are, wherever we are-our data selves are known, communicating, and growing every day. Brands that seek to lead in the Age of You will have to recognize the human in the data, uncover genuine insights, and create a truly personalized and curated experience-an ecosystem to satisfy the Mecosystem.

Source:bestglobalbrands